Connection — parents

When you are so impacted that the very meaning and description of something changes radically — that is a defining moment. My husband and I had that WAKEUP moment over eight years ago when we attended a grandparenting conference called the Legacy Grandparenting Summit. Legacy Coalition holds this conference for grandparents to inspire, encourage, and challenge them to fulfill their God given calling in this season of their lives. We were good grandparents seeking to live godly lives before our grandchildren. We supported their parents, our children, doing all the things grandparents normally do. We cheered the grandchildren on in...

All parents struggle from time to time, feeling overwhelmed or too tired to follow through with what they think they should be doing. One of the strongest things to keep you going in those moments is a clear purpose. All parents need something to hold on to when they’re tired, discouraged, overwhelmed, or simply too busy dealing with the demands of life. Some parents burn out — even on a daily basis, because they don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing. Once you understand and apply a clear philosophy of discipline, however, you can reverse the trend of burnout...

Getting a job done is important, but what about when kids roll their eyes or mumble? Is a bad attitude inevitable? Sometimes parents excuse the attitude by saying, “At least he did what I asked.” Others use excuses like, “She’s tired,” or “He’s only eight” and ignore the attitudes they see. Unfortunately, attitudes don’t typically get better if unaddressed. They get worse. If the heart is in the wrong place, a crisis is just around the corner. Some parents mistakenly ignore attitudes because their children comply. Kids need to learn how to respond well to the challenges of life even...

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou (1928-2014) As our kids grow toward independence, we can find ourselves in choppy waters, sometimes feeling unsettled. Changes are not always easy. A child or teen can come home one day and we sense a shift that we can’t quite identify. They may be processing new ideas and values that seem exciting or confusing. Nurturing these changing relationships requires energy, time, and wisdom. We want to navigate these shifts as we sense them...

You know you are involved in preschool ministry or have a preschooler in your midst when the infamous “Why” questions start! “Your child probably uses the why word for the same reason you do: to get information about a world they don’t fully understand. Preschoolers have only been in the world for a short while, after all, so life experience is minimal, but their wonder and imagination is huge! Here’s why: At this age, their brains are developing rapidly and they’re trying—really trying—to connect the dots in their always new and fascinating world” (Flanders, 2021). Working with and ministering to...